Match Thread Away V Scunthorpe - Tuesday 23 March@ 7pm

I don't think you can draw the conclusions of your first paragraph based on 30 minutes or whatever it was.
For much of that time it snowed a blizzard into our faces, even our subs were saying they couldn't see whilst warming up and for 10 minutes the white ball coming at us was lost in the driving snow, not much better when changed to yellow.
Great respect but that match was an irrelevance.

 

After reading Truemans comments about not losing games and happy with a draw I suspect that is his true mindset which means little change to the 4-5-1 formation we really play ( listed as 4-2-3-1 ) With that in mind I suspect we will be lucky to get anything unless we get more ambitious and change to 2 up top, To have two goalscorers and only play one at a time is criminal, Most clubs would bite our hands off to have them together

 

The only change they will make is Cook for Rowe and no doubt bring on Rowe for Cook after about 65 minutes. They really need to find a way to get both of them up front and firing on all cylinders.

 

Apparently neither striker is capable of playing a full game, so there's no choice but to only play one.

Or, maybe we just need to let them complete a game?

 

You’re right about the conditions which were against us in the 30 minutes played, but what I did see is indicative of the games that have followed since (possibly with the exception of the Newport game), where the opposition have the initiative and majority of possession. Maybe that’s the way T&S have decided to set up which isn’t bad away from home.

 

But City are not creating chances for the lone striker, doesn't matter how many we play up top if that doesn't change.
Vernam and Crankshaw, Evans and Clarke are giving us very little at the moment.
Wood and AOC occasionally bomb forward but are clueless on how to find their man or at least put a cross into the box.
Watt and Sutton are jaded but have done very well to stay fit week in week out.
If the managers are happy with this then good luck to 'em- i cant watch this every week on i-follow, dire stuff even when we beat mansfield or drew with bolton.

 

Really? Two lower league journey men and most clubs would bite their hands off? If we were talking the likes of Wyke, Vaughan or Doyle I'd kinda get it.

 

Tuesday has to be about application and effective Management.We need to see a definite change in attitude and urgency from the players. Testing times for the duo which they have to negotiate with improvement on the pitch.

 

Yet Oldham and Mansfield allowed them to leave their respective clubs in January. I think you are over estimating their talents to be honest, two strikers who have both spent the majority of their careers in non league

 

Spot on. We're a side who create next to nothing for the striker. Removing one of the creative three for another striker isn't going to change that fact. If we were creating bucket loads and just not finishing them then there's a strong argument to stick two strikers in there, but thats not whats happening.

Having said that, we have no natural replacement for Cooke who is integral to how we play. Maybe if we played more on the front foot and allowed the likes of Vernam and Crankshaw to be more involved in an attacking sense we wouldn't feel his absence so much, but we don't. So really we've got nothing to lose by trying something different and going two up top, even though I don't personally think it'll make a difference.

 

The only way to change what we have been seeing recently is to change system or personnel. I am just not sure that at the moment they see an alternative to this system with this squad - sneak a goal wins (which is what our run was based on). I am pretty sure they think if we change system we will be more open to conceding with these personnel, especially midfield. So I only expect minor tinkering. Would like to see us at least give a start to scales.

 

If you look at what has been said today, the management team see Vernham as a natural 10 who they say played there at Grimsby(?) but Burton moved him out wide. They say he just needs to readjust to playing in that position again so I think we will be seeing him there tomorrow night.

 

The problem with the system we play is it set up to protect the defense, They list it as 4-2-3-1 but is in fact played as 4-5-1 with the 2 wingers playing to defend the full backs rather than out and out attacking wingers, with 2 of the other 3 midfielders playing in front of the center backs to protect them and then only one attacking midfielder and one forward it is not hard to see why we lack possession and chances

 

I agree that currently the wingers are spending too much time defending than attacking. But thats an instructional issue rather than a system issue. The output of the wingers would largely be the same in a 4-4-2 because they would still be tasked with protecting the fullback as priority number one.

 

Ok - well let's give him the chance then. Haven't seen it yet personally but he clearly tried to play that role on Saturday. So Rowe on the bench again and Cook starting. Musical chairs.

 

Have seen nothing in Vernam that leads me to any confidence he can play centre midfield especially in our system that is very demanding as regards work rate and discipline in linking defense to attack,

 

I keep banging on about this but it's pretty obvious to me that all the players we've got in midfield and upfront are very average league 2 players. If we want to go up next year we need to replace them all with better. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's how the management see it. Trueman's praise of Billy Clarke in his post-match comments on Saturday was particularly worrying.

 

That's the spirit, tear it up and start again.

 

Just going to say the same myself. Tnx!

 

Yep. Keep those contracted as backup and recruit better. No idea what to do with Rowe though. Perhaps he might make the decision for us.